About Professor Heckman
 James J. Heckman is the Henry Schultz Distinguished Service Professor of Economics at The University of Chicago, a Nobel Memorial Prize winner in Economics, and an expert in the economics of human development. His groundbreaking work with a consortium of economists, developmental psychologists, sociologists, statisticians and neuroscientists has proven that the quality of early childhood development heavily influences health, economic and social outcomes for individuals and society at large. Heckman has proven that there are great economic gains to be had by investing in the early childhood development.
Visit www.heckmanequation.org to learn more.
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Featured Videos This Week |
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The Hard Facts Behind Soft Skills |
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Inequality is rising in America. We must bridge the gap between the haves and the have-nots to ensure a better society.
“A large body of research establishes that investing in disadvantaged young children promotes educational attainment, improves the productivity of the economy, and at the same time reduces social and economic inequality.” ~ James J. Heckman, University of Chicago
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“Family environments of young children are major predictors of cognitive and socio-emotional abilities, as well as crime, health and obesity. This observation is a major source of concern because family environments in the U.S. and many other countries around the world have deteriorated over the past 40 years.” ~ James J. Heckman, University of Chicago
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During the early years you create the skills that make it easier to acquire skills in future years
“Skill begets skill. Motivation begets motivation. If a child is not motivated and stimulated to learn and engage early on in life, the more likely it is that when the child becomes an adult, it will fail in social and economic life.” ~ James J. Heckman, University of Chicago
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Soft skills can predict a wide range of behaviors.
“Cognitive abilities are, of course, important determinants of socioeconomic success. But so are socio-emotional skills, physical and mental health, perseverance, attention, motivation, and self confidence.” ~ James J. Heckman, University of Chicago
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Why Early Investment Matters |
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Investing in early childhood has proven to have a large rate of return.
“High-quality early interventions promote schooling, reduce crime, reduce teenage pregnancy, foster workforce productivity, and promote adult health through multiple channels.” ~ James J. Heckman, University of Chicago
“Without spending an additional dime, society can redistribute resources from current budgets for unproductive remediation programs towards early childhood programs and improve child and social welfare.” ~ James J. Heckman, University of Chicago
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Building a better society means fostering human potential
"A large and convincing body of research in psychology, economics and neuroscience points to the importance of the early years in producing successful outcomes for advantaged children and in accounting for the social pathologies found among disadvantaged children."
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